Pokemon: The Legend of the Guardian
by Eye of Phoenix
Summary: Deep within Rota lies a band of people known as Guardians, who work alongside of legendary Pokemon to protect others. This is the story of the events which happened shortly after Sir Aaron sacrificed himself in order to save Queen Rin and the castle.
1. Chapter 1

Guardian. What is a Guardian? A Guardian is someone who protects no matter what the cost. A Guardian will fight until the bitter end. A Guardian will even give his or her life to keep others safe. It is also true that a Guardian may be pared with a legendary Pokemon in order to serve and protect the land.

This is the legend of the sacred Guardians that has been passed down generation through generation…

Hooves pounding and heart pounding, a Rapidash and his rider raced through the forest that surrounded Rota. Both feared that they were too late to protect Cameron Castle and Queen Rin. Another worry that was added was that Sir Aaron was at the castle alone. _No. Not alone. He has Lucario,_ the rider thought.

The rider was a woman named Jean. She looked like a mythical warrior rather than a mere woman. Her long brown hair, which had been pulled back into a ponytail, was flowing behind her. Her pale blue eyes focused straight ahead. She even wore armor—lightweight, yet durable, armor covered her chest and back. Her white tunic showed through in the cracks of the armor. Jean even had a sword by her side.

"Rapidash! We must make haste! We cannot allow Aaron and Lucario to face off against those armies alone!" Jean's voice sounded desperate. She _had_ to reach Aaron. Had to.

Rapidash whinnied and galloped faster. He wanted to reach the battle as much as she did. He knew that this would be an ugly battle and that Cameron Castle might fall if it were to take place. Suddenly, the duo reached the end of the forest.

"Oh my…" Jean whispered. Her eyes locked on the two armies massing. "There is no way we can defeat all of them." Then she sensed that someone was coming. She looked up. A Fearow was riding the thermals, but it was also carrying someone.

"Jean!! Do you see that?" Sarah, a friend of Jean's, yelled down. Sarah wore a pink and white tunic. She did not wear any armor, though.

Jean sighed and dismounted. She waited for the Fearow to land before saying, "Yeah. I'd have to be blind not to see it. Can you believe how many people are there?"

"Not to mention Pokemon…" Sarah muttered.

Jean bit her lower lip and turned back to face the battle. "What do you think the odds are that Aaron is down there?"

"Pretty good," Sarah answered bitterly. She didn't like the fact that Aaron might be in the battle either. Sarah was Aaron's older sister.

Jean sighed and glanced back at Rapidash. "Do you think we can fight off such an army?" She asked Sarah.

"Who? You, me, Rapidash, and Fearow? Are you joking?" That was Sarah's answer.

Jean sighed, "I'll take that as a no." She rubbed her hands together and tried to think of a way they could reach Aaron before his luck ran out. _If he's down there, not even Lucario can save him,_ she thought.

Sarah noticed Jean's determined look and said, "No. Jean. No. If you go down there, then you and Rapidash will parish. You can't face the army on your own."

"I know that. It's just that…" Jean paused. Something bad was about to happen. Rapidash reared up on his back legs and whinnied in fear. The crystals that surrounded Rota and the castle began to glow green. "What's going on?"

Sarah shrugged, "Maybe something is happening at the Tree of Beginning?"

"I hope not." Jean muttered. The crystals began to release a strange green ray of light. "What is this?!"

Fearow opened her wings and cried out, "Row!"

"I don't like this. Not at all." Sarah stepped away from the crystals and watched the armies. "Something is going on down there. Look." She pointed.

Jean's gaze followed Sarah's finger. The armies were beginning to disperse. "The light must have spooked them."

"That light came from Aura." A new voice said. Jean and Sarah turned. A very old woman stood behind them. "I fear for the worst. Aaron or Lucario must have reached the Tree of Beginning and gave Mew his power."

Jean gasped, "Elder Guardian of Ho-oh, what do you mean?"

The Elder Guardian of Ho-oh looked at Jean. The old woman wore a dress that showed all colors of the rainbow. On her gray head was a headband made from the feathers of Ho-oh. "They might have decided that the only way to save the castle was to sacrifice themselves to Mew. Mew, in turn, would have used the aura that came from their bodies and saved the region."

"How would we know who it was that died?!" Sarah asked eagerly.

The Elder Guardian of Ho-oh smiled sadly, "We don't. However, if Lucario returns to us, then we will know that Aaron died. If Aaron returns, then Lucario gave up his life."

"What if neither of them returns?" Jean asked

The Elder Guardian paused, "Let's just hope that doesn't happen." Jean and Sarah looked at each other. "I understand your fear. Sarah, Aaron is your baby brother. Jean, Aaron is your fiancée. However, you two must have faith. Everything will be as it should."

Sarah nodded, "I understand."

"But in the meantime, we must make plans just in case something unforeseen happened. I will call all the local Guardians to our hideout. We will decide what needs to be done." The Elder began to walk away. "Guardian of Mew. Guardian of Latias. Let us make haste. We don't want the Council to be waiting, do we?"

Jean and Sarah reacted quickly. Sarah went to Fearow and straddled her body. The bird Pokemon cried out and began to flap hard. They slowly rose from the ground.

Jean, on the other hand, leaped on Rapidash's back. She calmly tucked her sword close to her body and grabbed the reins. With a soft yell, she and Rapidash took off back to the headquarters of the Guardians.

The Elder Guardian of Ho-oh, for a moment or two, gazed at the Tree of Beginning. She had no doubt who died. She knew. Sir Aaron, the younger brother of Sarah and future husband of Jean, had sacrificed himself in order to protect the castle. The Elder closed her green eyes. _And now the Council will decide what needs to be done in order to prevent further attacks._ With that thought, she picked a leaf from a tree limb and blew on it. The sound carried far and wide. The Elder watched as Ho-oh flew overhead. The sacred Ho-oh would be her transportation back to the Council.


	2. Chapter 2

Sarah flew above the trees on Fearow. The large bird Pokemon was keeping a sharp eye on Rapidash and Jean, who was bolting back to the Guardian headquarters at blinding speeds. All knew that they had better hurry before the Elder Guardian of Ho-oh reached the headquarters before they did. She would summon the other Guardians to the base and then they would discuss the future of Cameron Castle and Rota.

"Come on, Fearow! Can't you fly any faster?" Sarah asked. She hated being outrun by Jean's Rapidash, even though the horse was much faster than most Pokemon. Fearow arched her wings and began to flap harder. However, the wind was not on their side. In fact, the wind was blowing them off course slightly. It was indeed a struggle to remain on Rapidash's tail.

Down below, all Jean could see was blurs of green and brown as they raced by the trees at speeds that she never dreamed Rapidash could reach. She could have told him to slow down, but time was of the essence. Reaching the base was key at the moment. The sooner they reached the Council and explained the situation, the sooner they could decide what had to be down.

After a seemingly short run, Rapidash slowed to a stop. In front of him stood a medium sized wooden building. It was modest when considering the fact that some of the most powerful humans in the world were inside. On one side of the building, vines and ivy grew. Moss covered the rocks that were next to the building. Jean sighed. She knew the reason why the Guardians wanted to keep their headquarters so modest. An innocent, or not so innocent, human would not think anything of the building that was out in the middle of the forest. "At least the inside is nice…" Jean muttered to Rapidash as she dismounted from him. She did not tie his reins around anything, but allowed him to roam at will. She knew he would not run off.

Right then, Fearow and Sarah landed. "You could have waited," she grumbled, getting off of the bird. Fearow seemed relieved to have the extra weight off of her back. "Boy, you would think that for such powerful people, we'd have a better looking lair." Sarah placed her hands on her hips and sighed.

"Never mind that. We need to hurry." Jean pointed toward the sky. She could see a rainbow. "The Elder Guardian of Ho-oh is here. We don't want to be late." She reached for the door's handle and pulled the door open. It squeaked badly and dust came down from the ceiling. The duo entered the wooden hallway. Every step they took made the floor moan and groan as it bared their weights.

"I'm always afraid that I'll fall through the floor," Sarah confessed.

Jean chuckled and touched a painting that was hanging in the middle of the hall. Since it was so old, it had yellowed and the paint had begun to peel off. It showed an image of a herd of Tauros that was grazing on a hillside. The sky, although originally a deep shade of blue, had turned into a pale shade of blue that had cracks and chips in it. "I bet that was a nice picture at one time," Jean said, blowing off the dust from her fingers.

"Probably," Sarah said absently. She continued walking down the hall. "In there. See the light? That's where we need to go."

Jean noticed the light that came from torches and candles. "Right," she said, walking toward the door and laying a hand against the handle. Slowly, she twisted the handle and the door creaked open. As Sarah had thought, there were several people inside.

"Well, well, that's the last of us. What took you all so long?" The Guardian of Moltres asked. He folded his arms in front of his chest and watched as Sarah and Jean entered the room.

Jean glared at him and snapped, "It is none of your business." Her and Sarah walked by and sat down in their designated seats.

The Elder Guardian of Ho-oh stepped in front of the group and raised her arms up. "My fellow Guardians, we come to you in the gravest of times. Although Cameron Castle has been saved, I fear that there will be other attacks. And we mustn't forget about Sir Aaron and Lucario. They were in the heart of the battle. We must find them or, at least, find their remains." Jean and Sarah looked at each other as the Elder continued, "I have sent for all of you in order to determine how we should respond to this attack and defense of the castle. As we all know, if Cameron Castle falls, we fall as well."

One of the Guardians, a man named Rudolf, raised his hand. "Excuse me, but how will you determine who will undertake this task?" His brown eyes showed some confusion and concern.

Right then, the Elder Guardian of Lugia stepped forward to take his position next to his wife. "Guardian of Zapdos, we will decide who is most fit to do this." He waved a hand in an expression of unconcern. The Elder Guardian of Lugia wore a white and blue robe that hung down to the floor. His helmet, although open so others could see his face, looked like the head of a Lugia. At his side was a large sword that was very heavy. Everyone knew that he couldn't pick it up now even if he wanted too. The Elder Guardian of Lugia was just too old.

Rudolf leaned back in his chair and sighed. He was sitting a row behind Sarah and Jean. His outfit consisted of a yellow and black tunic. He did not carry a sword with him as he preferred to fight hand-to-hand with his enemies. For most part, Rudolf was the kind of man who remained calm even in battle. However, it was assumed that he also had the ability to become very angry when necessary.

The Elder Guardian of Ho-oh looked at the crowd. "For this dangerous assignment, I will choose five to seven Guardians. The first thing we must do is inform Queen Rin that Sir Aaron and Lucario are either dead or are wounded. If they are wounded, we must find them quickly. Then we must make completely sure that there are no more attacks on Rota and, if there are, put them down quickly and painlessly. Do you all understand?"

Everyone nodded. Then a man dressed in all black spoke up. "What can't we allow the kingdom to fall? We could take over and become rulers of Rota." When the crowd gasped, he muttered, "It would be easy to annihilate the castle guards. Then we could force the Queen into submission."

"Do you hear yourself? You are speaking nonsense!" Another Guardian shouted. She was Bianca, the Guardian of Jirachi. She and Jean were close friends. Bianca stood up. "Damon, have you lost your mind? Didn't you hear what the Elder Guardian said? If the kingdom falls, we fall as well." Her voice was filled with anger.

"Relax," Damon, the Guardian of Darkrai, said. He leaned back his chair on two legs and folded his arms behind his head. "I was just staying that it is possible." Damon's outfit was a black robe that went down to his knees. Under his robe was a red tunic. At his side was a staff that had a long blade sticking out the side of it. It appeared to be a sickle.

Bianca, on the other hand, wore a white and gold dress. Her long blonde hair was tied back into a braid. Her emerald green eyes locked angrily into Damon's hazel eyes. Bianca tended to carry a staff that had a crystal ball on the end. Granted, it was pretty, but it was also a weapon that could be used to hit an enemy very hard. Jean had been on the receiving end of the crystal during sparring matches. It hurt. Badly.

"Now I will choose who will go on this mission," the Elder Guardian of Ho-oh said. Her eyes swept through the crowd. The room became deathly silent. "Guardian of Latias. You are the elder sister of Sir Aaron. You will go."

Sarah stood up and bowed, "I will go."

The Elder Guardian smiled and turned to face Jean. "Guardian of Mew. Since Aaron was going to become your husband, you will also go."

Jean nodded and joined Sarah in standing. "Very well," she said, placing her hand against her sword's hilt.

The Elder looked over at the crowd of men. "We will need a man, yes? Guardian of Latios, you will go as well."

A man dressed in sapphire and gray armor stood up. His shaggy blonde hair was hanging in front of his face, partially hiding his blue eyes. He was Siegfried, the Guardian of Latios and had been chosen to one day become Sarah's husband. There were no engagements though, even though both were of proper age. He looked over at Sarah and smiled, despite the fact that they were on opposite sides of the room. "I will be honored," he answered.

"Good. Guardian of Jirachi, you are known for your good fortune. If things go poorly, I want you to be there," the Elder said to Bianca.

Jean was relieved when Bianca answered, "Yes. I will join."

Sarah counted the number of people that was going to be joining her in the mission. Including her, there were four people. _The Elder Guardian said that five to seven would be coming. I wonder who else she will choose._

The Elder glanced at Damon. "We will need the Guardian of Darkrai for his strength. You will be going."

Everyone gasped. No one had been expecting that decision, especially after Damon had wondered why the Guardians didn't take over Rota. "Elder!" The Guardian of Celebi yelped from the back of the room.

She raised her hand to silence the crowd. "I do not wish to discuss this," she said, then the Elder looked at Rudolf. "You, Guardian of Zapdos, will join them. This will even out the male and female ratio."

Rudolf stood up and bowed low. "I will humbly accept," he replied.

The Elder Guardian of Ho-oh turned to the Elder Guardian of Lugia and smiled. Then she turned back to the crowd and said, "All but the six that was chosen are now free to go. The six chosen, I want you to stay behind. I wish to speak to you."

The crowd left the room, leaving behind the band of six. Damon sighed heavily and stood up. "Okay, so what do you want to talk about? Tell us to play nice?" He asked.

The Elder Guardian of Lugia glared at him coldly. "We wanted to tell you that you should not tell anyone about us. Keep in mind that most of Rota, save the Queen, has no idea that we Guardians even exist. We want this lack of knowledge to remain. Keep your true identities secret to everyone except the Queen. Inform her that Sir Aaron is missing, but do not say anything else that might jeopardize our mission. If she asks why you are here, just tell her that until Aaron returns, you will protect her and Rota."

"Why are we going anyway?" Rudolf asked.

The Elder Guardian of Ho-oh answered, "To prevent any further attacks. In a way, you will not be lying to the Queen—you will be serving her and protecting the land at the same time. However, the less she knows, the better."

Her husband nodded, "Right. You are dismissed. We want you to keep in touch with us. Use a carrier Pidgey to relay messages to us. Is that clear?"

"Yes," all answered.

"Very well. Dismissed!"


	3. Chapter 3

After the Elders had left, the six assigned Guardians made their plans on how to approach the task at hand. It was Damon who came up with the first method of approach. "We should barge right on in and announce our presence!" He exclaimed in triumph.

Jean and Bianca exchanged glances and rolled their eyes. Both of them did not like Damon. They did not understand why the Elders would want to include him on the mission that might decide the fate of Rota. Sarah sighed, "No, Damon. We will not go in the castle like rebels. We will act civilized."

Siegfried nodded his head. "She's right. Now, if you will, let us be on our way toward the castle." He reached for a leaf and looked at it. "If I were you, I suggest we fly. Get there before night falls." With that, he blew on the rim of the leaf, making it buzz.

"That's not a bad idea," Rudolf agreed.

Bianca reached out and grabbed Rudolf by the arm. "Do not call Zapdos to you. We are sure to call a lot of attention to ourselves if you show up with an army of legendary Pokemon. Let's call some of the other allies."

"Right," He nodded as he reached for two rocks. Rudolf clacked the two together and created sparks.

Jean reached into a sleeve and unlatched her flute. The flute looked similar to a Dragonair, with the tail as the mouthpiece. Along the backside of the Dragonair shaped flute was several holes that Jean could block with her fingers to make different pitches. She blew on the tail piece and the flute released a shrill note. The note was answered by a whinny that was not too far away.

Slowly, and in different methods, the Pokemon that was used for travel by the Guardians appeared. Jean's Rapidash trotted up to her and snorted at Sarah's Fearow in what could be called a friendly manner.

Bianca had summoned to her the faithful Staraptor. The predator Pokemon landed next to Sarah's Fearow and squawked at her. "Now, Staraptor, be nice. We don't want to cause trouble, do we?" Bianca said gently.

Rudolf smiled as his Pidgeot landed next to him. "Thank you for coming. We have a mission." The Pidgeot cried out in excitement.

Siegfried finished blowing on the leaf and looked up. He had to shield his sensitive blue eyes against the setting sun's rays. "There you are…" He muttered to himself, watching as a Charizard flew overhead. Once the Charizard landed, Siegfried walked to him and climbed on his neck. "I'm good now. When shall we go?"

Damon, grinning, used his sickle-like staff to strike the ground hard. The bottom of the staff connected against a rock. Right on cue, a Skarmory appeared. The steel Pokemon had been hunting on the ground, unusual for a bird Pokemon. "I'm glad you have come to me. Now, let us go," Damon said, looking at the other Guardians.

Jean had already mounted Rapidash. "Very well," she answered, placing a hand against Rapidash's neck. "It is time," she whispered to him, stroking his neck.

Bianca, Damon, Rudolf, and Sarah's bird Pokemon all took off into the sky. Siegfried's Charizard followed them, wings spread wide and tail thrashing. Jean's Rapidash, who couldn't fly, would have to keep up with them on the ground. That was okay, though. Everyone knew how fast a Rapidash could run. He would be able to keep up with them without any difficultly.

Up in the sky, the four bird Pokemon and one Charizard had to deal with the lack of wind. Being that it was dusk; the warm air that allowed thermals to form didn't exist. Meaning that it was constant flapping all the way to the castle. However, to make up for the exhausting flight, the view was breathtaking. The forest extended for miles. Rivers snaked though the landscape. A small herd of Stantler could be seen running down below. "Boy, I forgot how fun it is to fly," Bianca exclaimed.

Rudolf, who had always loved to fly, looked up. "Look. You can see the moon" He pointed skyward and grinned. His armor clicked slightly when he turned around to stroke Pidgeot's head. "Good job. I can see the castle. We're almost there."

Sarah bit her lower lip. She was hoping that her brother, Aaron, had reached the castle in one piece. If he wasn't there, she would know that the worst had happened. Either he had been killed, wounded, or fled. The latter option was unacceptable. _Never mind that. We must complete our mission, _she thought.

Siegfried noticed Sarah's worried look. He hesitated before saying, "Don't worry. I'm sure your brother will be safe. He's Aaron, after all. He can survive anything." Even though his words might have sounded unafraid, Siegfried was indeed nervous. He didn't want to see Sarah cry. And if Aaron was truly dead, then Sarah would cry. _Obviously, she would cry,_ he grumbled to himself.

Meanwhile, down below, Jean and Rapidash raced toward the castle at blinding speeds. In order to avoid being struck in the head by low branches, Jean had to lean forward and keep her head low. Her face was right next to his flaming mane, but Rapidash would never burn her. "We're almost there. I can see the front gates," she exclaimed. Rapidash whinnied and moved faster. "Whoa!! Rapidash! Stop!" Jean yelped. The brick wall of the gate appeared quickly and Rapidash slowed to a stop.

Right on cue, the others shot down out of the sky. Siegfried's Charizard landed with a roar. "Good job. You may go," Siegfried patted the dragon's arm. The Charizard bellowed and flew off. After watching the Charizard fly out of sight, Siegfried turned to face the others.

"So now what do we do? Walk up to the guards and ask them to let us in?" Damon wondered.

Jean and Sarah exchanged looks. Both nodded and Jean rode Rapidash out in the open. The guards noticed her and reached for their swords. "Who goes there?" They demanded.

"I am just a mere woman.' This was Jean's answer.

Rudolf almost started laughing. "That's a lie if I ever heard one," he chuckled.

"'A mere woman'?" The guards echoed and began to laugh. "You have a sword on you and your Rapidash is healthy."

Damon growled, "They're not buying Jean's excuses. Looks like I'm going to have to interfere." With that, he leaped from the bushes. "May the power of Darkrai place you all in a deep sleep!" Damon yelled, raising his sickle over his head.

Rudolf saw that Jean was right in the path of the spell. "Jean!" He yelped, running out of the underbrush. He knew that if Jean was caught by the spell, she would fall into a deep sleep. Rudolf rammed his body into hers, sending both tumbling out of the way. The spell that Damon cast caused both guards to fall asleep.

"There you go. That was easy," he said, walking calmly toward the gate. He caught a glimpse of Jean and Rudolf lying on the ground. "Pathetic…"

Rudolf, who had Jean pinned underneath him, glared at Damon. Then he asked Jean, "Are you okay?"

She nodded and smiled, "Yes. Thank you." Her eyes locked into his. His locked into hers.

"Jean? Rudolf? Are you two coming?" Bianca asked as she walked by. Both of them nodded.

"Yes. We're coming," Rudolf said, getting off of Jean and helping her up. Then he turned to see Damon using his dark magic to unlock the main gate.

"And we are in! Excellent job, Damon. You are very welcome, Damon." Damon was too busy congratulating himself to realize that as he walked past the gate, there was a wall that he had to go around. He ran into the brick wall with a thud.

Bianca silenced a laugh that threatened to come from her. "Well then…." She almost giggled as she walked past the wall. Damon grumbled to himself and followed her.

Everyone stopped and looked around the outer courtyard. There were numerous buildings and trees that seemed to spring up from the ground. Most tress had various fruits that looked ripe on the branches. Damon grinned and swiped at one tree with the blade of his sickle. The fruit was impaled by the blade and drug back down. "That was easy," he said, grabbing the fruit and taking a bite out of it.

"You do realize that that is stealing from the Queen, right?" Sarah asked.

Damon shrugged, "We all have to eat, right?"

The band of Guardians reached the inner courtyard. This region was filled with buildings and vases of flowers. "There is the palace. That's where Rin will be," Bianca said.

"And then we will have to tell her about Aaron…" Jean whispered.


	4. Chapter 4

The six Guardians walked slowly into a room that would hopefully lead them to the Queen's room in the main part of the castle. It looked like a palace or something similar to that. This was why it was a unanimous vote that that had to be the place where Queen Rin could be found. Even Damon agreed.

"Look at all those fancy flowers. This has to be it," he would mutter from time to time. It was almost like he was trying to make himself believe that he was going to meet the fair Queen of Rota.

Siegfried remained silent. He listened to the sounds of their feet hitting the marble floor and the sound of his own heart beating in his ears. Siegfried wasn't scared, but he was ready if someone showed up around a corner that was an enemy. His instinct for caution didn't stop him from admiring the paintings on the walls, though. "Hmmmm…" He noticed one picture that showed a man next to a Salamence.

Sarah noticed him showing an interest in the painting and touched his arm. "One day that will be you," she said with a gentle smile.

It was a well known fact that Siegfried had always wanted to be a hero. The very fact that he had been chosen by Latios to become a Guardian was proof enough for him that he was destined to be a hero. He smiled, "You really think so?"

She nodded and smiled slowly. "I do. I honestly think that you will become a hero. A powerful hero who defends the weak."

Damon ruined the mood by muttering, "Please. Stop the romance before I vomit." He was in the very back of the group. His long black robe hung loosely over his red tunic and in his left hand was his sickle.

Rudolf, Bianca, and Jean shot him a dirty look. They all knew that one day Siegfried and Sarah were expected to marry. Apparently Damon had no clue about that. After that, the Guardians continued their journey down the hall. Finally, after much walking, the group reached the door. "Well then, who wants to knock?" Rudolf joked.

Jean stepped forward slowly and her eyes locked on his. "I can," she said softly. Her hand reached for the door knob. With a squeak, the door opened. Inside, like they had predicted, was the queen with a handmaiden.

Queen Rin turned to face the intruders. "Who are you?" She asked in a soft voice. Her long blonde hair hung down loosely behind her. In her hands was a staff.

Jean and Sarah recognized the staff. "Excuse me, but can you tell us where you got that staff?" Sarah asked. She tried to sound like she couldn't care less about the staff, but that was extremely difficult. The staff looked like Aaron's staff.

Rin lowered her head and sighed heavily in sorrow. "A Pidgeot came to me and gave this to me. It belonged to Sir Aaron, a knight of my court," she answered.

Jean and Sarah exchanged looks. After a moment or two, Jean asked, "And Sir Aaron? Where is he?"

"Gone," the Queen replied.

"And Lucario?"

"Gone."

Rudolf, who decided to break the tension, asked, "Are those velvet curtains or silk?" He was trying to lighten the mood.

Jean ignored him and asked, "Do you believe that they are dead?"

Rin's eyes began to water. "I…believe so. Aaron would have returned to me if he had survived. And Lucario…." She began to cry.

Sarah, who wanted to keep up the hope that Aaron had survived, said, "Maybe Mew has him protected?"

"No," Jean said quietly. "If Mew had him, I would know."

Damon looked at her. He said nothing, but he did feel sorry for her. If what Queen Rin had said was true, then Jean's fiancée was dead. And so was Sarah's brother. _What a rotten day,_ he thought.

Rin looked at the women and asked, "How did you know Aaron? Were you his family?"

"I was his elder sister," Sarah said. She lowered her head and closed her eyes.

Jean, who wanted to know the truth about the relationship between Queen Rin and Aaron, asked, "And how were you involved with Aaron?"

"Besides him being my knight, I had always wanted him to be my husband. He seemed to like the idea, but he always resisted me. Aaron never said if he had a wife or anything. Do you know if he did?"

Jean growled slightly, but remained calm. "No. Aaron was a man of few earthly ties. He was courageous and bold. He would have never taken on a wife. But he did have friends that cared for him," she answered softly.

Rudolf, Damon, and Siegfried all gasped. They had no idea why Jean would lie about her connections with Aaron. She was to be his wife and yet she chose not to mention that to Rin. The question was why. Why would she lie?

Bianca, deciding to change the subject, said, "But we are here to protect you. We know about the two armies that were massing in order to destroy themselves. We also know that your army doesn't have enough force to defend themselves in case of another attack. You need assistance. And that's why we are here. To defend the castle and Rota."

Rin, though she was sobbing over Aaron's death, asked, "Who are you people? And what can you do to help us?"

Siegfried stepped forward and answered, "We are Guardians, the loyal servants of Pokemon."

Damon muttered to himself, "Like that's a good answer…"

Bianca decided to discuss why they were at the castle. "Our Elders believe that you might be in further danger. They sent us here to keep an eye out and prevent anything else from happening."

"How?" Rin asked. She still had the staff in her hand. Her handmaiden watched with great curiosity in the background.

Jean, who had somehow prevented herself from crying, replied, "We have our ways. Trust us, Queen Rin. Everything will be fine. All we ask of you is that you do not allow your guards to know who we really are and that you allow us to have a place to stay. We will not interfere with everyday workings and you will be free to do what you will."

Rin nodded, "I understand. Very well. You six can stay here and assist my guards in keeping the castle safe. I will provide you with shelter and food."

Damon spoke up, "Shall someone remain in your quarters in order to keep you safe?"

Bianca glared at him. "If she wants someone to stay, it will be a girl!" She scolded angrily.

"Okay. Sheesh." Damon raised both his hands, allowing his sickle to rest against his arm. "I meant no harm."

Rin smiled at Damon, "That is okay. I think that I will be safe. Thank you." Then she turned to her handmaiden, "This is Alaina, my friend. She will show you to your quarters." With that, Queen Rin turned back toward the window, leaving the others to be dismissed.

Alaina approached the Guardians. She wore a light tan dress with brown shoes that were made from Stantler hide. Her hair was tied up in a pony tail so it wouldn't fall in front of her face. "Follow me," she said softly. The group left the Queen's quarters and went back into a hallway. "Since this place is so large, I have assistance when navigating," she explained, pressing her pointer and middle fingers against her lips. She blew hard, creating a soft flute-like sound. "My friend is coming," she smiled.

After seven seconds, a four-winged Crobat flew down the hall. That caught Damon's interest. "Hey! A Crobat!" He said, genuinely excited.

The large bat flew around the group. Alaina looked up and said, "Crobat, I would like you to reveal the way to the room where we keep our guests." The bat took off at full speed, causing the humans to run down the hall. Alaina looked over her shoulder and said, "It has been a while since we've had visitors. Were you close to Sir Aaron?"

When Sarah looked like she wanted to cry again, Siegfried replied, "Yes, but please do not bring him up again." He looked at Sarah. She was holding strong. Then he glanced at Jean. She didn't even budge when Aaron's name was mentioned.

Rudolf noticed Jean's emotionless nature as well. He wondered why she wasn't upset. _She should be. Her fiancée is most likely dead. That's good enough reason to cry for me. Maybe it was learning that Aaron never mentioned her to Queen Rin that made her not cry? And why did she say that Aaron was a man of no earthly ties? He had her and Sarah! _He remained puzzled. _I'll have to ask her later on why she said what she said._

Alaina and Crobat continued to lead the way down the castle hallway and would point out the various painting and statues of famous heroes or kings of old. "Y'know, I would bet that one day, Sir Aaron will be remembered as a hero. He did use aura and taught Lucario how to see and use aura as well. Maybe he'll be called the Guardian of Aura. Was he one of you?" She asked, glancing back.

"Aaron was not one of us," Damon answered.

Alaina looked surprised, "That's a shame. Well, maybe he shouldn't be called a Guardian. Maybe he is a guardian, but not one of the Guardians. He could have the name, but not the title."

Sarah glanced at her and said, "You're not helping the situation any."

Alaina shrugged and continued to point out the various statues. "Now that one over there is the late king, Neil. He was the great-great-great-great grandfather of Queen Rin. It was documented that he used to ride into battles on a black Charizard."

"So interesting…" Rudolf muttered. His mind was still focused on Jean. She was looking at the statues with what appeared to be mild interest.

Siegfried, on the other hand, was absolutely fascinated with the statues. "A _black_ Charizard? Are there such things? They'd have to be rare," he pointed out.

"That's why King Neil used to be called the Black King. See the painting?" Alaina pointed to the painting above the statue. The painting showed a main dressed in pure black armor holding a sword. A black Charizard stood in the background. "You can see why he had such a title."

"Nice outfit," Damon commented.

Alaina smiled at Damon. "I can see why you would like such an outfit. Black seems to be your style too." She looked at him up and down.

He laughed, "That's true, but one mustn't forget to wear red."

Bianca noticed another painting. This one showed a woman sitting next to a lake. A Dratini was leaping out of the water. "Who's that?" She asked.

"That is King Neil's wife. As you can see, they were two different beings. He was a hungry warlord. She was a peaceful and kind. But they say that opposites attract. Her name was Queen Angela."

"Wow. And the woman in the next painting?" Siegfried asked. The painting next to Angela was a woman dressed in a long green dress. In her hands was a dagger.

"That is Neil's second wife," Alaina answered.

Bianca blinked and asked, "What happened to Angela?"

"She was killed during an attack. Neil grieved for her, but married Angela's sister. That is Queen Nila."

"And which one is Rin's ancestor?" Damon asked.

Alaina pointed to Angela and answered, "The children of Angela were not pleased with their father's decision to remarry."

"I don't blame them," Sarah muttered.

They continued walking down the hall. "Ah! Here we are! This is where you will be staying," Alaina opened the door. Inside were at least ten beds. "It is rather roomy. Make yourselves at home," she said.

Jean grabbed a torch from the wall and walked inside. One by one, she lit all the lights. Once the room was illuminated, the beds could be seen. There were five on each wall. Two large dressers could be found next to the end of the bed rows. At the very back of the room was a massive window. Curtains blocked the light, but when Bianca pulled them to the sides, it was seen that it was night. The full moon's reflection shimmered on the lake outside of the room. "This is nice," Bianca commented.

"It is," Jean agreed, sitting down on a bed.

Rudolf walked to the window and said, "When do you think we should send out a carrier Pidgey? Inform the Elders that we have made it to the castle and wait for their orders."

"Only Noctowl and Hoot-hoot will be found at night. We will send out our message in the morning," Siegfried answered with a yawn.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey, wake up," was a wake up alarm for Damon. He opened an eye and groaned. Then he rolled over and closed his eyes again. Again, the voice said, "Wake up. You're going to miss out on food."

That got Damon's attention. "I'm up," he said, bolting to his feet. He looked at his wake up call and saw that it was Alaina.

"Good morning. I figured I should get you up before your friends eat up all the food," she explained.

Damon nodded, "Thank you. I'd rather not miss out on a meal." With that, he took off out of the room. He didn't have to have an escort in order to find where the food was. He could smell it. And, sure enough, he did. The smell was coming from a dining area that was bigger than the house where he grew up. There were several large windows that allowed light to come in. The floor was made from a material that Damon had never seen before in his life. Painted pictures adorned the ceiling with fabulous scenes of battles and of different species of Pokemon.

In the middle of the room was a giant dining table that was made for a solid piece of oak. And on top of the table were different types of food. And eating the food was Sarah, Bianca, Jean, Siegfried, and Rudolf. They all spotted Damon entering the room. "Hey! Good to see you, sleeping beauty!" Siegfried called to him.

Damon grumbled to him, "Why didn't any of you wake me up?"

"Because you are in an alliance with Darkrai. We really didn't want to be put into a nightmare," Jean explained.

With a shrug, Damon nodded, "Good point. I can see why you'd be afraid of that." He sat down next to Rudolf and grabbed a slice of bread.

"So, today we send out a carrier Pidgey, yes?" Jean asked. She had a piece of fruit in her hand. "What should we say to the Elders?" She took a bite out of the fruit.

Rudolf looked at her and answered, "We'll tell them that we've made it to the castle and now we are holding our position until further orders." After that, he gave her a sneaky smile. She blushed.

Sarah and Siegfried exchanged glances. They were both wondering if Rudolf and Jean might become a couple. However, they both shrugged and went back to eating. Bianca nibbled on a slice of cheese made from the milk of a Miltank. She closed her eyes and savored the flavor.

After a nice breakfast, the six Guardians stood up from the table. Several servants began to clean the table off, leaving the group to leave at will. They walked out into the hall and Jean asked, "Will you summon a carrier Pidgey to us, Rudolf? We'll tie a note to it and send it to the Elders."

Rudolf smiled and nodded, "Sure. I can do that." He walked to an opened window and looked out. The warm summer breeze hit his face and he took a deep breath. Then he whistled. A Pidgey glided toward the window and landed.

Bianca quickly grabbed a pen made from a Fearow's tail feather and a napkin. Then she began to scribble out a note. She wrote: 'Elders, we are now in the castle. There seems to be no threat as of yet. We will keep you informed.'

Rudolf took the note and tied it around the Pidgey's leg and gave the Pidgey directions to reach the Elders. Then he released the bird. "There. Now we can enjoy ourselves until the response gets back. What do you want to do now?" He asked.

Sarah shrugged, "I guess we wait. It'll be boring, but I'm sure we can handle this. I think we'll be okay if we go out and just explore. Maybe we will find something useful?"

Damon nodded, "And perhaps if there is an attack, we will have an advantage. We could use the forest in order to defend ourselves."

"Good point. Okay, so the mission is this. We will look for ways the forest and surrounding areas can be used in order to defend the castle." Siegfried said, looking out of the window. "And I'm going to fly," he said, whistling. A Charizard's roar could be heard. "Farewell. I will be back for lunch!" He yelled, leaping out of the window.

"Siegfried!!!" Sarah yelped, running toward the window. She saw a Charizard carrying a man off into the sky. "That idiot. One day he'll regret for being so reckless." She shook her head.

Jean chuckled, "Now that looks good. Okay. I'll check out the terrain on the ground. Rapidash and my other allies will be helpful now. See you all later!" With that, she turned on her heels and walked out of the room.

Rudolf watched her leave. Then he noticed that Bianca was studying him. _Does she realize that I have feelings for Jean?_ He looked at the ground and muttered, "I'm going to check things out too. See if Zapdos can help."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Zapdos flying about might cause trouble. That's the last thing we need," Damon muttered. He closed his eyes and said, "I think I'm going to check out this palace further. Maybe see if there are any other weapons."

"That sounds like a good idea. I think I'll join you." Sarah nodded. She and Damon left.

Rudolf glanced up a Bianca. "I won't call Zapdos. I'll just use Pidgeot. See you shortly." With that, he left her and walked down the hall. This hallway did not have the statues and paintings of ancient kings or heroes. This hallway showed pictures of Pokemon. _Look at those. Mew seems to show up in every painting in one way or another. There's a painting of Mew with a Pikachu. And there's Mew with the castle in the background. _He looked at each picture with great interest.

"Wait!!!" A voice carried down the hall.

Rudolf turned to see who it was that was yelling. A boy, probably eleven, was running down the hall. He was carrying something. Behind him was Alaina, who was yelling her head off. She could move surprisingly fast. "Do you want me to catch him?" Rudolf yelled.

"Yes!!" She called to him.

He nodded and, as the boy ran by, reached out and snatched the kid by the sleeve. "Where do you think you're going?" He asked harshly, lifting the boy off for the ground.

"Let me go!!" The boy wiggled.

Alaina panted as she ran to them. "How dare you steal the Wand of a Thousand Truths!" She yanked the strange wand out of the boy's hands. "You will regret this!"

Rudolf looked at the boy, then at the wand. _What on earth is that thing? I can sense power radiating from it,_ he thought.

The boy struggled, "My people need it! If they do not have it, then they will summon their army and will destroy you!!"

Alaina laughed, "Like you can beat us."

"We can! We have a grand army! No one can defeat us! No one!" The boy declared.

Rudolf looked at the boy. _We may have some trouble on our hands…_ he thought, bitterly.


	6. Chapter 6

Rudolf blinked as the boy continued to struggle. Now that the boy had revealed that something awful might happen, he was getting angry. His eyes narrowed slightly and he held the boy up higher. "And where exactly do you come from?" Rudolf asked with an annoyed voice.

"Like I'm going to tell you," he replied.

Rudolf grinned wickedly, "If you don't tell me, then I will personally feed you to horde of hungry Victreebel. Do you understand me?"

The boy called his bluff. "You're lying. No old geezer like you would dare feed a young kid like me to a Pokemon." The boy began to laugh in a mocking tone.

"Why you little-!" Rudolf was cut off by Alaina.

"There is no need for you to damage your hands over this whelp. Let me take care of this," she said, grabbing the boy by the ear and dragging him away. Rudolf hated to see what might happen to the kid, but he didn't care enough to stay. He had a mission to do. He needed to explore the region outside of the castle so he and the other Guardians could ambush any enemy attacks.

Meanwhile, Jean was investigating a cave. She stuck her head inside and saw an Ursaring with two young Teddiursa. "Oh, excuse me," she said politely, leaving the cave. Jean knew better than to bother the massive bear and her offspring. And she knew too well that a mother Ursaring will defend her young no matter what the cost. She and Aaron had experienced that the hard way. She smiled at the memory. It was in the early spring. Jean and Aaron were exploring the forest outside of a village. They had both been sent there to investigate several rare Pokemon sightings. During their investigation, they had stumbled in on a slumbering Ursaring and her young. The incident ended with Jean and Aaron running for their lives.

_Of course, Aaron is gone and I can't do anything about it,_ she thought, touching a tree limb to keep herself from falling into a shallow stream. A few Wooper sat at the water's edge. They noticed her, but knew that she wouldn't harm them. A Pokemon has nothing to fear from a Guardian.

"Wooper!!" The Wooper called to her.

Jean smiled and waved at the Pokemon. "Hello. I hope I haven't disturbed you," she said, sitting down on a log.

"Wooper woop woop wooper!" They answered.

Jean smiled and looked around. Several small Pokemon had gathered around her. They all knew that they had nothing to fear. Jean would never harm them. Even several larger Pokemon approached her. This included a couple of Stantler, a Linoone, three Pikachu, an Oddish, and a Bibarel. Jean didn't have to guess why they were near her. She quietly pulled out her flute. The Pokemon leaned in closer. With a smile, she began to play a soft melody. Even more Pokemon approached, even ones who were loyal to Jean. Jean's Rapidash came to her side, drawn to the sweet song. Another Pokemon that was loyal to her was a female Weavile. They all sat together, listening.

The song was carried by the wind. Rudolf, who was still very curious about the Wand of a Thousand Truths, had left the castle. He was now wandering the grounds of the castle. _What's that sound?_ He wondered when he approached the forest. _It sounds like Jean's flute. Why would she be playing?_

Rudolf's black and yellow outfit was very visible in the green and brown forest. Pokemon could see him very easily, but made no attempt to avoid him. They knew that he was a Guardian, after all. After walking a ways into the forest, Rudolf heard the flute much clearer. The melody was slow and sad. He approached further and saw Jean with an entire group of Pokemon by her side.

"Jean?" He called to her.

The playing stopped. "Rudolf? What are you doing out here?" Jean asked.

"I heard the music and decided to check it out. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I know you've been through a lot recently."

"Uh-huh."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Jean smiled, but shook her head. "Not really."

"Why didn't you tell the Queen that you were Aaron's fiancée?"

The smile faded. "I wanted him to be remembered as the hero who saved Cameron Castle. I didn't want his named to be tied down with mine. We weren't married. It doesn't matter anymore."

Rudolf walked to her and laid a hand against her shoulder. "But it does matter. Jean, you can't let your feelings for Aaron stay bottled up inside forever."

"Rudolf…I understand your concern…" Jean began.

_Does she know that I have feelings for her?!_ Rudolf thought.

Jean finished, "But I think I can handle my own feelings."

That wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear. "Oh. Okay. Well, if you want someone to talk to, you can come to me."

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "I will," she said softly. With that, she continued playing her flute. The melody remained depressing. It was obvious that Jean was hurting.

Rudolf sighed and turned to leave. Then he said, "Jean?" She looked up but did not stop her playing. He sighed again and whispered, "Nothing. I'll see you later." With that, he left her and the Pokemon. He headed back toward the castle to find that Damon had been spying on him.

"So having love trouble, huh?" Damon asked. He was standing on a tree limb.

Rudolf glared at him. "What is it to you?" He challenged.

"Nothing," he replied innocently. "I just have a tip for you. If you want to attract her to you and make her forget about dear ol' Aaron, do something great. Make her impressed. Make her believe that you are greater than Aaron. Believe me, it works every time."

Rudolf wasn't so eager to trust the Guardian of Darkrai. "Why are you trying to help me?" He asked.

Damon leaned back against the tree trunk and answered, "Because I can't stand seeing a woman upset. Do you know what I mean?" When Rudolf shook his head, Damon continued, "Women have this ability to make or break a team. If Jean isn't happy, then no one is happy. You understand?"

"Not really," Rudolf admitted.

Damon leaped from the tree and landed next to Rudolf. "You will. Sooner or later," he said, walking away.

"But Jean doesn't look upset," Rudolf protested.

Damon looked over his shoulder and said, "Believe me, lover boy, if you know women as well as I, you would know that Jean is very upset. After all, who can blame her? Her fiancée just died and she's scared and alone. If I were you, I would try to comfort her."

"But I tried to…"

"Talk to her? Please. Don't talk. Act. Do something amazing in order to impress her. That's the best way to get her to forget about Aaron."

Rudolf watched as Damon entered the castle. _Can I trust him? Maybe I should approach the others with this problem? No. No. I must try to impress Jean on my own,_ he thought.

CRASH!! The sound of glass breaking could be heard over the sound of Jean's flute. Rudolf looked up and saw a Honchkrow and several Murkrow flying away from the castle at a rather quick pace. The Honchkrow was carrying something long. The tip was shiny. It looked like…

"The staff!!!!" Alaina yelled. "Get that wand!! We can't let them have it!!"

An entire squadron that consisted of Crobats, Pidgeotto, and Swellow flew after the black birds. That's where Rudolf realized that they were attempting to recover the Wand of a Thousand Truths. "Oh no…" He whispered as the enemy Pokemon flew over the hills and out of sight.

Alaina could be heard from inside of the castle. "No! No! We lost it!" She yelled.

Suddenly, Bianca and her Staraptor shot out of the broken window. She was going to attempt to bring back the wand. The wind blew her hair back and ruffled Staraptor's feathers. "We can't let them get away!" She yelled.

"Raptor!!!" Staraptor agreed fiercely.

Right then, a Charizard shot past the duo. "Hey! What are you doing up in my neck of the woods?" Siegfried asked, holding on the dragon's neck.

"Follow that Honchkrow! It has the Wand of a Thousand Truths! It's going to the enemy!" Bianca yelled.

Siegfried looked confused. "The what?" He asked.

"Oh never mind! Just come on!!!" Bianca cried.


End file.
